Americans are expected to travel this summer in greater numbers compared with last year—and likely will be joined by a higher number of international travelers, top travel executives from Best Western International, AAA, and the U. S. Travel Association said at the sixth annual Leisure Travel Summit in New York late last month.

At the annual panel discussion, Best Western reported advance reservations for peak summer travel, now through Labor Day, are up more than 4 percent at Best Western hotels across North America, with roughly 85 to 90 percent of all summer travel expected to be taken by car, according to AAA.

"Americans who made the decision to cut back on spending last year in order to save more, which meant postponing a vacation, are now actively planning and booking summer travel this year, which we believe will translate to a strong summer for our member hoteliers," says Dorothy Dowling, senior vice president of marketing and sales for Best Western.

Despite gas prices being more than $1 per gallon higher than the same time last year, with AAA reporting a national average of $3.78 per gallon, Gary Oster, U.S. Travel's senior vice president of business development, remains optimistic that travelers won't divert from travel plans.

"The reality is that for the average family driving 500 miles for their summer vacation, the increase in their gas budget will be the equivalent of just two pizzas," Oster says. "Because Americans have been putting more into savings the past two to three years, travelers are unlikely to postpone a planned vacation this summer to the beach or one of our national parks over the cost of a dinner or two out."

Airlines, rental car brands, and hotels are more likely to offer extras or value-added promotions rather than heavily discounted rates or fares as they did last summer.

"Travelers will find this year that they're offered things they normally wouldn't have before in the quoted price, such as a free breakfast, discounted passes to local attractions, or bonus miles or points, rather than the 'everything must go' sales on seats and rooms," says Glen MacDonell, director of AAA Travel Services.

Along with millions of Americans on the road, a growing number of international travelers, especially those from Asia and Europe, are expected to vacation this summer to popular U.S. destinations. Best Western is tracking an increase of more than 5 percent in advance bookings this summer made by international travelers, with a dramatic increase in advance bookings of 16 percent for Asian travelers.

"We should be excited to welcome back international travelers, as each tourist from overseas will spend on average $4,000 in the U.S. on lodging, rental cars, dining, and local excursions," Oster says.